Drama and shaming — the media covers homosexuality between 1912 and 1989
Periodical articles in the official media often copied the view of homosexuality of that time. Whether we look at newspapers from the interwar period, or at the socialist press, we find mainly articles about "perverted" or "sick" people, criminal cases or scandals. Even after homosexuality was decriminalised, it took a long time for educational articles, such as the Czechoslovak article "They Live Among Us" (1973) to appear. This article was an exception in this respect. Most articles at that time depicted USA and the West as a "gay world."
Based on media articles, we learn very little about specific people,
their needs, desires or positive examples from their own point of view.
We do not hear about their efforts to change the unfair conditions they
encountered. The first articles discussing this would only appear in the
nineties.
The Homosexual Embezzler. Two weeks ago, the Central Credit Bank of the Hungarian Financial Institutions made a report to the police against bank clerk Mihály T. (22). He was entrusted with withdrawing the money from a 5000-Crown savings account, but he ran away with the money; then the inquisitor issued a warrant of arrest against him.
On Friday evening a detective crossing Kálvin Square noted a young man who was applying make-up under a streetlight. The detective ordered the man to identify himself; he said his name was Mihály T. The detective checked the national criminal records and found that there was a warrant of arrest against the man. The young man was taken to the police headquarters, where he confessed that immediately after taking the money at the bank, he had met three homosexual companions and they had travelled to Trieste, Vienna and Fiume together. He had spent the money on buying women’s clothes for them. This man was well-known among the company of people with sick inclinations, he performs under the name Zsazsa. The police have arrested him, they are searching for his companions.
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Homosexual marriages.. On Friday, Danish lawmakers have approved the possibility of marriage for citizens of the same sex. Homosexual couples have now the option not only to get married, but also to enjoy the same benefits as any other marriage with regard to inheritance, fees or property ownership, among other things.
However, the law does nor allow same-sex spouses to adopt children. In addition, both partners who want to be married must be Danish citizens. Danish lawmakers legalised homosexuality as early as 1930. The country of 5.1 million inhabitants currently accounts for 20,000 homosexuals. The new measure should encourage homosexual partners to stay together, thereby helping in the prevention against AIDS, which is spread by promiscuity. (Czechoslovak Press Agency)
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Lučenec’s Homosexuality in the Court.. On 11 August, the court of Banská Bystrica summoned Ľudevít Kováč, a merchant from Lučenec and an accomplice to known homosexual affairs in Lučenec, condemning him to 4 months of prison without probation. The state prosecution appealed the length of the sentence, which it deemed too short.
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A new scandal in Nitra!. The jury has gathered to discuss the homosexual scandal of Mr Fodor, a furniture merchant (the one with the eared Möbel). A crowd attended. A crowd that consisted primarily of women. And what a disappointment!
The proceedings are confidential, secret! A cold shower that fell on the hot heads that were looking forward to the trial for months. And now, how vexing, the trial is secret, the public may not attend, cannot be present; what a disgrace! Unheard of! To push away our ladies; now is that what gentlemen should act like? Fodor was sentenced to ten months, six of which he served in detention awaiting trial; now he was released and will serve the remaining four months in winter. His accomplices have been acquitted. His wife was sentenced for a month, but for something else. Reasonable people did not flock to see the trial. However, some simply need to be everywhere. The sensational affair in Nitra had a hassle-free ending.
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Fodor, the homosexualist, confesses.. As we have written before about the sexual scandal in Nitra involving the local wholesale merchant Fodor Vilhelm, who has caused the death of senior aircraftman Hajduk Alojz.
The arrested has confessed that he has had affairs with various men and youths whilst also trying to involve other persons in these affairs, albeit unsuccessfully. Only one clerk has been arrested for homosexual contacts.
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Regular batch of queer history